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The 2010 Census shows 13,956 people in Villa Rica.
“That was an increase of 191.91 percent from the
2000 survey,” said Christopher Pike, the city’s director
of Downtown Development and Tourism. “We are a
little over seven years from the next demographic
count, with Villa Rica at almost 17,000 people already.”
Pike is a history buff with experience working at the
Thronateeska Historical Heritage Center in Albany,
Georgia. “We have some great ideas about becoming
a more tourist-oriented city.”
Dairy Queen is getting near completion and other
vendors, like Starbucks, are considering the city.
Behind Liberty Chevrolet on Highway 61 is a relatively
new Holiday Inn Express, an essential business for this
burgeoning Carroll County municipality.
Pike has taken his museum history background
to initiate a plan to create a museum for the iconic
“father of black gospel music,”Thomas Dorsey. Born
in Villa Rica July 1, 1899, Dorsey composed “Take My
Hand, Precious Lord” and “Peace in the Valley.”
“We did a presentation to the Downtown Authority,
and we received a positive response from several
agencies,” Pike said. “We initially have thought that
the former library would be ideal for the Dorsey
museum, but the city had already made plans for that
facility.”
Several government entities are also supporting
a rendering for the museum with a hotel and
conference center back of the Amp.
“We have brought in a museum consultant to assist
us with the museum idea,” Pike said.
Pike feels that the Dorsey museum not far from I-20
will attract tourists. There also has been some interest
in this project from regional and state agencies.
DORSEYMUSEUM
VILLARICAPLANS
Thomas A. Dorsey is the
father of black gospel music
CITY HIGHLIGHTS
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